Pork is forbidden under Islam, which is the dominant religion in Indonesia.
An Indonesian TikToker has been sentenced to two years in prison after she posted a TikTok video where she said an Islamic phrase before eating pork, BBC reported. The verdict came after a resident reported Lina Lutfiawati, 33, for the video which gained millions of views on TikTok in March this year.
In the video, she was seen uttering a Muslim prayer that translates to “in the name of God”, before consuming pork skin. The clip was shot when she was traveling in Bali, and the influencer said that she tried pork out of curiosity. Many criticised her for “knowingly eating pork skin as a Muslim”, while conservative groups across the country issued rulings calling the video ”blasphemous”.
Notably, pork is forbidden under Islam, which is the dominant religion in Indonesia.
Ms Lutfiawati was found guilty of “spreading information aimed at inciting hatred against religious individuals and specific groups” at a court on Tuesday in the South Sumatra city of Palembang, according to the verdict. She has also been ordered to pay a fine of $16,245 (Rs 13,48,111). If she fails to pay the money, her jail term may be extended by three months.
Taken aback by the verdict, she told a local news station that she knew that she made a mistake, but ”did not expect such a severe punishment.”
Notably, Ms Lutfiawati loves Bollywood movies and has also adopted the Indian name Lina Mukherjee. The influencer, who has more than two million TikTok followers, also runs a business in India.
Her case is the latest in a series of high-profile blasphemy convictions in recent years. Last year, six people were arrested after a bar chain promoted free alcohol for patrons named Mohammed, as per an AFP report.
Usman Hamid, executive director of Amnesty International Indonesia, said the blasphemy article in Indonesian law has been abused to target minority groups and dissenters.